CrimeCon 2021 Recap

Hey all, CrimeCon Informant here with a quick recap of CrimeCon 2021. It’s been two years since we saw our CrimeCon family, and the reunion was as bittersweet as it was inspiring. For many, this was the first time in over a year that we’ve left our homes, shown our faces, or hugged old and new friends -- and it was a privilege to witness it (and to be on the receiving end of so many hugs!).

CC Mayor Josh Mankiewicz opened CrimeCon 2021 from his home, loaning all CC attendees his "Mayor of CrimeCon" title for the weekend. Any seasoned CrimeCon veteran will attest that the weekend is full of tears and grief, but also full of laughter and hope. Every year, thousands of CrimeCon attendees learn about new cold cases, technological advancements, and come face-to-face with the families of victims looking for justice.

Confronting OJ Simpson: A Candid Conversation with Kim Goldman

Speaker: Kim Goldman

I sat in the front row of the main ballroom Saturday afternoon and overheard the kind of conversation one can only hear at CrimeCon: “It’s been so nice not having to explain to anyone who Ron Goldman is,” said one Partner in CrimeCon to another. “Agreed,” came the response from beside her. “My kids don’t even know who O.J. Simpson is.” I turned to speak to them and learned that the two women had come to CrimeCon solo but had become fast friends. I will never grow bored of hearing about new CrimeCon pals.

The lights dimmed and photos of Ron Goldman flashed across the screens as audio from Ron’s answering machine filled the room. Five excruciating minutes of messages changed from “Hey buddy, you’re late!” to “I just wanted to hear your voice again” as friends and family learned Ron had been brutally murdered while defending his friend Nicole Brown from the heinous attacker who killed them both in 1995.

Ron’s beloved sister and best friend Kim Goldman took the stage (to a standing ovation) with tears in her eyes, tension in her shoulders, and a hand full of tissues to deliver one of the most raw and emotionally painful presentations in CrimeCon history. Peppered with lighthearted jokes to break the tension, Goldman’s story brought the crowd to tears (“All I had was my father and my brother; we were three peas in a pod, the Three Musketeers”) and cheers (“[Ron’s killer] is a disgusting piece of s***.”)

Why Take the Kids?: A Closer Look at the Disappearance of Susan Cox Powell and the Murder of Her Two Sons

Speakers: Anne Bremner & Evan Bariault

Equally heartbreaking was the audio of a 911 call placed by a social worker outside the home of Josh Powell just moments before he murdered his sons Charlie and Braden. Powell was under suspicion in the disappearance and suspected murder of his wife Susan Cox Powell, a devastating case for even the most desensitized true crime enthusiast. Legendary attorney Anne Bremner and trial lawyer Evan Bariault listened intently from the stage as audio they must have dissected hundreds of times brought them both to tears yet again.

Evan Bariault, part of the trial team that secured a $115 million verdict against the State of Washington surrounding the deaths of Charlie and Braden Powell, went on to describe the state of the home during the investigation as evidence photos flashed across the jumbotron screens. Josh Powell had attempted to kill the young boys with a hatchet before setting fire to the home, eventually resulting in a devastating explosion. “The autopsy later found--” Bariault’s voice broke and he stopped to choke back tears, “-- that there was evidence of smoke inhalation in the boy’s lungs, so they were alive when Josh Powell sat down on top of a gasoline can and set the house ablaze.”

But even in the most desperate moments, there is room for triumph. Bariault explained that the Powell family attempted to inter Josh Powell alongside the murdered boys -- but a local organization raised thousands of dollars to buy all of the burial plots surrounding the boys’ gravesite to prevent this from happening. Applause and cheers of approval filled the room.

Surviving Castro: How a Lost Decade Created a Fierce Advocate

Speakers: Chief John Majoy, Gina DeJesus and Sylvia Colon

Year after year, CrimeCon welcomes victims and survivors of some of the most horrendous cases (such as the Delphi families, Kathy Kleinert Rubin, and the GSK Sister Survivors). Inevitably, these sessions begin with an air of sorrow and sympathy, but the audience leaves with an energized sense of hope.

When Gina DeJesus took the stage, there was no sorrow, no pity -- she stood in front of hundreds of people with an omnipresent shy but sincere smile to talk about the ways she and her family are giving back to the community of Cleveland, Ohio after she spent nine years as a captive to sexual sadist and predictable coward Ariel Castro. Together with her cousin Sylvia Colon, Gina founded The Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children and Adults and now works every day to help families who endured similar trauma.

During her captivity, Castro gave DeJesus a flyer - which he had received directly from Gina’s mother as she desperately searched for her missing daughter. Gina asked her captor if she could keep it. “I wanted it because it was the last thing my mother had touched,” she explained.

Police Chief John Majoy, joining Gina onstage, asked if Castro gave her the flyer in an attempt to manipulate her or bring her down. “If that’s what he thought he was doing,” DeJesus responded quietly but with immense strength in her voice, “then he was wrong.” Once again, cheers and applause filled the room, pushing away the sadness that once hung so heavily in the air.

If the audience hadn’t already been ready to run through a wall for Gina, CrimeCoun Founder Kevin Balfe joined Dr. Bill Smock to surprise everyone on stage by telling them that CrimeCon would be matching the first $5,000 of Foundation donations during the event. Dr. Smock also donated a beautiful Police Surgeon tapestry to whomever gave the most. That moment really summarized what CrimeCon is all about: leveraging the power of this community to change lives.

Gil Carrillo

One of the best parts about CrimeCon - and we hear this a lot - is that it’s an opportunity to celebrate the heroes of true crime, the investigators, rather than to glorify the heinous perpetrators that have ruined so many lives. One of the heroes who joined us at CrimeCon 2021 was Gil Carrillo, the rookie cop who went out on a limb to connect a series of murders in the Los Angeles area in the mid-1980s that led to the arrest of the infamous “Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez.

Carrillo was kind enough to host two powerful sessions during CC21. First, he gave the general CC21 audience a behind-the-scenes look at the popular binge-worthy Netflix series The Night Stalker, and also treated our crimeHQ subscribers to a small, exclusive Q&A session on Sunday afternoon as everyone else made their way home.

One crimeHQ member asked Carrillo to speak of the most memorable moments of the investigation and he told a story of Ramirez’s youngest victim, just nine years old at the time of the attack. Though shy and scared, investigators needed the young girl to talk about her encounter. After a thoughtful moment, she whispered in her mother’s ear. “She says she’ll talk to you,” her mother said, pointing to Carrillo, “because you remind her of her teddy bear.”

Indeed, Carrillo reminds us all of our teddy bears, representing all things good in the world, fighting the evil that lurks among us to keep us safe in the dark.

Fruit Loops Pod: Serial Killers of Color

As a true crime enthusiast, I am always on the lookout for new podcasts to fill the empty void in my heart in between CrimeCon events. During Podcast Row open hours, I found myself drawn to the booth of Wendy and Beth of Fruit Loops Podcast, a pod focusing on serial killers of color. Wendy and Beth took time to speak with every attendee who stopped by their booth, to dispel the myths that most of us believe about serial killers, namely that most are white, American men.

Indeed, Wendy and Beth can offer over 120 Fruit Loops episodes about serial killers of color from countries around the world that most true crime enthusiasts have never heard of -- and I am hooked. It’s like I’ve discovered true crime all over again. The cherry on top: Wendy and Beth are two of the strongest and smartest women in true crime; they take no prisoners in setting straight the pervasive assumptions we all make and they offer insightful commentary about these obscure cases that will definitely leave new listeners intrigued (and educated).

Don’t F**k With Cats: Behind the Hunt for an Internet Killer

Speakers: Deanna Thompson (“Baudi Moovan”) and John Green

We knew this session would be standing-room only (and we had a LOT of space in the room!). Just before the COVID-19 lockdown that canceled 2020, Netflix’s Don’t F**k with Cats took the true crime world by storm. Following the work of online amateur sleuths Deanna Thompson (screen name Baudi Moovan) and John Green (screen name John Green), DFWC illustrated the power of the amateur sleuth as the duo worked together with a trusted group of friends to track down notorious kitten-killer-turned-murderer Luka Magnotta.

Citizen detectives everywhere saw a little bit of themselves in Deanna and John. During this packed-house session, the two related behind-the-scenes anecdotes (Did you know their interviews were filmed in a very sketchy AirBnb with no air conditioning? In the middle of summer?) and shared their biggest challenges and frustrations (Try convincing a detective in another country to investigate a guy you think might live in their city and did something bad on the internet.) “We were laughed off the phone more than once,” they explained.

Deanna and John also answered some of the most frequently asked questions about the investigation and the docuseries itself. “Why did Deanna cry over a kitten but not Jun Lin?” asked one. Deanna took a breath before she began her answer. “I do cry over Jun Lin. I came to learn about the kind of person he was; he was so kind and funny and loving and I cry for him all the time.” She went on to explain that exhaustion and clever editing also played a part in how she came across on screen. She choked back tears, and when Baudi Moovan cries, we all cry. Fortunately, John brought the comedic relief and kept the questions rolling as the bins filled with discarded Kleenex.

BONUS: Did you know that Deanna and John had the help of a third citizen detective during their hunt for Magnotta? German expat Muervet Douglas - extremely camera shy and adorably small enough to fit in one’s pocket - declined to appear on camera in the docuseries, but joined Deanna and John for a second session dedicated to their new venture, The Animal Beta Project. “Muervet was instrumental in finding Magnotta,” explained Deanna. It took enormous courage for Muervet to take the stage, but she offered crucial insight for amateur investigators. “What should we do when we see something like this (animal abuse) happening online?” asked one audience member. Muervet took a deep breath - and then advised everyone else to do the same. “First thing - take a breath, take a chill pill. Keep your emotions out of it and look for evidence, focus on what you can use to find them and stop it.”

Practical Tactical (VIP)

Speakers: Spencer Coursen & Jason Hanson

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire: How to Know When Someone is Lying

Speaker: Mark McClish

When it comes to real-life, practical tips that CrimeCon attendees learn every year, there are two categories: the ones you hope you never have to use, and the ones you can’t wait to use.

While ex-CIA officer Jason Hanson and security guru Spencer Coursen offered VIP attendees tips from their combined 1,500 years (dog years) of expertise to keep oneself safe in a wide array of scary situations, statement analysis expert Mark McClish helped the audience learn how to spot deception from a mile away. “I hope I never have to use my shoelaces to break out of zip ties,” I overheard in McClish’s session. “But I can’t wait for the next time my kids try to lie to me.”

The biggest takeaways from both of these hands-on sessions:

Practical Tactical: “You must be willing to participate in your own safety.” - Spencer Coursen

Liar Liar Pants on Fire: “If they invoke the name of God, your ears should perk up.” - Mark McClish

Sometimes a unique challenge requires a very creative solution. So how do you give attendees the opportunity to meet with speakers while maintaining a safe social distance? With a little imagination, some inspiration from Zoom, a couple green screens, and just a sprinkle of tech magic. Mix it all together and you have #CRIMECAM

Now let's all hope we never have to do things this way again or take anymore Zoom calls this year.

Delphi Murders: Who Killed Abby and Libby?

Speakers: Kelsi German, Becky Patty, Tara German and Susan Hendricks

CrimeCon has followed this heartbreaking case since its first event in nearby Indianapolis the year the girls were killed and we will not give up until justice has been served. This year we were joined by family members Kelsi German, Tara German and Becky Patty along with HLN’s Susan Hendricks to go inside this unsolved double murder. 

Will this finally be the year? We hope.

Just because Mayor Mank and Dateline couldn't physically be in Austin, their presence was certainly felt (and seen!) throughout the weekend -- from life-size cutouts that created a memorable photo op to meet and greets via Zoom. We appreciate the creativity so much that we'll let their absence slide this year.

Boiled down to one word, I would describe CrimeCon 2021 as inspiring. Every session, every conversation, every speaker left an air of inspiration behind. Setting aside the programming itself, for many attendees, this was the first time they had left their hometowns in over a year; the first time they could take off their masks and see others smile; the first time they could hug the friends they made at CrimeCons past.

When the final session ended on Sunday, hundreds of attendees poured out of rooms with smiles, a renewed sense of energy and commitment to justice, and an aura of walking out of those rooms a different person than when they walked in. I stood in the main hallway and just observed the smiles, tears, hugs and high fives as attendees made their way home.

After two years of starts, stops, planning, re-organizing, and adapting to the changing environment, I joined the rest of the CrimeCon staff in packing up our office, exhausted but elated as we shared our favorite moments from the weekend. Over aching feet, through sleep-deprived speech and emotional overload, we all said it at least once: “I cannot wait for next year.”